On this page is a training program and set of methodologies for large organizations to use to evaluate programs and implement a continuous improvement program. We based this program on proven quality assurance and continuous improvement tools which have been simplified to allow non-technical people be be successful. The goal is to build a culture of improvement.
Systems Approach to Improvement
“Program evaluation” –
“is the appropriate, timely, and systematic collection, analysis, and reporting of data to facilitate stakeholder judgement concerning program worth in regards to its design, demands, size and type of effect, match between effect and need, cost effectiveness, strength of casual connections and utility.”
“Quality assurance” –
is “a systematic process designed to identify, analyze, and eliminate variations in processes or outcomes.”
Leahy, M.J., Thielsen, V.A., Millington, M.J., Austin, B., & Fleming, A. (2009). Quality assurance and program evaluation: Terms, models, and applications. Journal of Rehabilitation Administration, 33(2), 69-82.
This program is specifically designed for Service Organizations (like…Healthcare, Hospitality, Retail) and Office Workers.
Three Simple Phases to Continuous Improvement
Three Simple Phases to Continuous Improvement
Assessment
During the Assessment Phase of a Continuous Improvement Program we look for Red Flag Problems and Green Flag Examples of Excellence. The Red Flags “Problems” go to a portfolio to be prioritized for corrections and study. The Green Flags “Examples of Excellence” go to make Green Flag Reports (GFR) to create menus for brainstorming future solutions in Problem Solving and Benchmarking Exercises.
Problem Solving
The Problem Solving Phase is just what is it sounds like. This is where we break out the problem solving tools and facilitate with your team. The goal is to find solutions to the prioritized list of problems. We might use root cause analysis, observation tools, interviews, etc. to help us find possible solutions to our problems. The solutions then go into another portfolio for project selection. That is where we might use Return on Investment and other selection tools to find our best route to success.
Implementation
The Implementation Phase is all about making the changes happen in the most effective and efficient ways. Change Management and Project Management is the name of this game. We use the most appropriate Change and Project Management tools and methods to make sure we have buyin, show results, come in on time, come in within budget, manage the scope, and all the other important parts of both Change Management and Project Management.
To allow for measuring competencies, progressing levels of competencies are reflected in traditional systems like the value of metals or proficiency reflected by belts. Your organization can select a systems that best fits your lexicon. However, here as with a Lean Six Sigma program, we will use belts to symbolize levels of technical competencies.
White Belt Certification
For leaders who want to implement the program and those who will become practitioners. The White Belt Training is designed to introduce a balanced approach to improvement programs and quality assurance and the leader’s role in making the program successful by building a culture or improvement.
Requirements: A quick orientation presentation is the only prerequisite. No test is required for white belt training. Other Leadership and Culture related classes may substitute for some of the White Belt Training.
Time Required: The White Belt Certificate is designed as an overview and can be completed in 2 to 4 hours.
Yellow Belt Certification
This is an introduction for practitioners. During the Yellow Belt Training one would get an overview of Program Evaluation and Quality Assurance from the practitioners perspective.
Requirements: The White Belt Certification is a prerequisite. A short exam is required for Yellow Belt Certification. The testing will be available by a proctored online exam, where the student shares their screen and video while taking the exam.
Time Required: The course work requires 8 hours of training, which may be taken, in a physical and/or virtual classroom or by recorded self-paced online methods.
Green Belt Certification
Here we start understanding how to use the tools of evaluation and continuous process improvement and quality assessment. A participate will learn to apply LEAN Six Sigma concepts and tools to Program Evaluation to help lead improvement within their organizational department.
Requirements: The Yellow Belt Certification is a prerequisite. A two hour exam and a successful completion of a Green Belt Program Evaluation Project is required to earn your Green Belt Certification.
Time Required: This course requires 20 hours of classroom (virtual or physical or online) training along with a 2 to 4 week Green Belt Program Evaluation Project.
Black Belt Certification
A Black Belt Certified Practitioner is qualified to act as a inter-program consultant to help bring about positive changes throughout the departments and programs. Here we reinforce the Lean Six Sigma type tools and add systems thinking, organizational development, and project management (both traditional and agile methodologies).
Requirements: The Green Belt Certification is a prerequisite. A two hour exam is and the successful completing of a 2 to 4 week long Black Belt Project is required.
Time Required: This course requires 32 hours of classroom (virtual or physical or online) training along with a 2 to 4 weeks to complete a Black Belt Program Evaluation Project.
Seven Attributes of Excellent Program Management
Seven Attributes of Excellent Program Management
Leadership
Leadership is often the last thing investigated. However, it is always the first step toward improvement. From the book, Built to Last, we should not just have expert time tellers at the top but rather an organization that works like a fine tuned clock. Here the leadership issues are covered in the White Belt Training.
Culture
As leadership drives culture, the organization’s culture drives everything else. Building an excellent culture is covered during the White Belt Training. An excellent culture leads to sustainable excellence in all the other other attributes. See the list below for culture related workshops.
The Customers
Customer Focus is the reason that an organization exist. If we can not serve our customers well, then we should not have a job. Customers may be internal or external and the definition of “value added” is directly related to the value our services bring to our customers and stakeholders. See the list below for customer focus related workshops.
People/Teams
People are the engine behind everything an organization does. Motivation and team building is a key component to efficiency. Understanding people and motivational theories is a basic requirement in the expectation of achieving high quality control and improving performance metrics.
Outline of White Belt and Yellow Belt Training
Orientation: 30 Minute Overview of Program
White Belt Workshops (for Leaders): (2-3 Hours)
- Introduction to Lean/Six Sigma/Process Improvement (20 Minutes)
- Introduction to the Three Phases of Continuous Improvement (Assessment, Problem Solving, and Implementation). (10 Minutes)
- Introduction to the Seven Attributes of Excellent Program Management (10 Minutes)
- Leadership (1 Hours)
- Understanding Situational Leaderships
- Understanding the Step to Empowerment
- Evaluation of Leadership (Planting Red and Green Flags)
- Culture (30 Minutes)
- Understanding the Components of Excellent Culture
- Understanding an Excellent Culture
- Values and Ethics
- World View
- Artifacts and Symbols
- Language
- Sub-cultures
- Underlying Assumptions
- Patterns of Behavior
- Evaluation of Organizational Culture (Planting Red and Green Flags)
- Customer Focus (20 Minutes)
- Understanding a Culture of Excellent Customer Service
- Evaluation of a Culture of Customer Focus (Planting Red and Green Flags)
Yellow Belt Workshops (For Practitioners): (4-6 Hours)
- Review of The Principles of Improvement
- Lean/Six Sigma/Process Improvement
- The Three Phases of Continuous Improvement (Assessment, Problem Solving, and Implementation).
- The Seven Attributes of Excellent Program Management
- Customer Focus – Patient/Customer Service Basic Training (6 Hours)
- The Three Phases of Service – Before, During and After
- The 5 Attitudes of Excellent Service
- Mastering 1st Impressions
- Managing your Your Face and Understanding Others
- Optimizing Eye Contact
- Personal Grooming for a Professional Image
- Reading Body Language (Your and Others)
- Managing Conflict
- Understanding Inflection
- Mastering Dialogue
- Controlling and Reading Tone of Voice
- Mastering Active Listening
- The Evaluation of Patient/Customer Service
- Building Excellent People Skills
- Communication
- Using Motivational Theories and Skills
- Team Building
- Maintaining Agility In Operations
- The Evaluation of Team Building, Motivation Levels, and People Skills
Skills
Core Competencies, Skills, and Problem Solving Tools are what people use to perform. These are every skill required to do an excellent job. They also include all the continuous improvement, Lean, Six Sigma, problem solving, project management, change management and other tools required. Here we focus on teaching the Lean Six Sigma and Project Management tools.
Change (CI)
Change Management is both 1st order changes (or continuous improvements) and 2nd order changes (or major step changes). One is an adaptation while the other is a metamorphosis. The goal is to optimize and then make things systematic and repeatable. The focus is on improving systems and subsystems both physical systems and activities (know as processes). This is where we apply the tools.
Metrics
Developing and Implementing Excellent Performance Measures/Metrics is the gauge to determine the success and/or failures of everything we do. Although we know you can not management what your can not measure. It is also important to know the measures are only the gauge and not the operations itself. Here we will look into the seven steps of performance measures.
Outline of Green Belt, Black Belt, and Master Black Belt
Green Belt Workshops (For Practitioners – 3 Days)
- Review of The Principles of Improvement
- Lean/Six Sigma/Process Improvement
- Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control
- Simplifying Continuous Improvement to Three Phases
- The Assessment Phase (Planting Red or Green Flags)
- The Problem Solving Phase
- The Implementation Phase
- The Seven Attributes of Excellent Program Management
- Lean/Six Sigma/Process Improvement
- Lifecycle Management:
- Change Management Lifecycles
- Understanding Effects of Program and Organizational Lifecycles on Continuous Improvement Choices
- How Change and Lean Six Sigma and Continuous Improvement Fit
- Understanding Client/Patient/Customer Lifecycles
- Designing of Measures and The Seven Steps to Performance Measures
- Laws and Rules of Performance Measures
- Focusing on Strategic Goals
- Developing the Criteria that Reflects the Strategic Goals
- Linking Key Performance Indicators to the Criteria
- Collecting Data
- Analyzing Data
- Implement the Findings (Continuous Improvement)
- Finding the Biggest Bang for the Buck
- The 80/20 Rule of Thumb
- Looking for the Big Rock Processes and Systems
- Benchmarking and Green Flag Reports of the Big Rocks
- Working the Assessment Phase (Program Evaluation)
- Evidence Based Practice
- Inference
- Planting Red Flags and Green Flags
- Systematic and Repeatable Assessment Plan
- Interviewing Process and Complaints Documentation
- Observational Processes
- Other Data Gathering Processes and Tools
- Working the Problems Solving Phase (Lean Six Sigma Tools)
- Problem Portfolio Management
- Solution Selection
- Problem Solving Tools (Lean Six Sigma)
- Lean Tools
- Process and Work Flow Charting
- Problem Portfolio Management
- Working the Implementation Phase
- Project/Solution Portfolio Management
- Project Management
- Tracking Progress and Results
Black Belt Workshops (For Practitioners – 20 Hours)
- Using the Three Phases of Continuous Improvement
- The Assessment Phase (Planting Red or Green Flags)
- The Problem Solving Phase
- Problem Portfolio Management
- Problem Solving Tools (Lean Six Sigma)
- Solution Selection
- The Implementation Phase
- Project/Solution Portfolio Management
- Project Management
- Tracking Progress and Results
Virtual Training and Technical Assistance Center
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